advocate

[ verb ad-vuh-keyt; noun ad-vuh-kit, -keyt ]

See synonyms for advocate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ad·vo·cat·ed, ad·vo·cat·ing.

to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly: He advocated higher salaries for teachers.

verb (used without object),ad·vo·cat·ed, ad·vo·cat·ing.

to act as an advocate: a father who advocates for his disabled child.

noun

a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually followed by of): an advocate of peace.
a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.

a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.

Origin of advocate

First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin advocātus “legal counselor,” originally past participle of advocāre “to call to one's aid,” equivalent to ad- ad- + vocāre “to call” (akin to vōx voice); replacing Middle English avocat, from Middle French

Other words for advocate

3	champion, proponent, backer
5	lawyer, attorney, counselor, counsel; barrister; solicitor

See synonyms for advocate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from advocate

ad·vo·ca·tive, adjective
ad·vo·ca·tor, noun
non·ad·vo·cate, noun
pre·ad·vo·cate, noun
pre·ad·vo·cate, verb (used with object), pre·ad·vo·cat·ed, pre·ad·vo·cat·ing.
re·ad·vo·cate, verb (used with object), re·ad·vo·cat·ed, re·ad·vo·cat·ing.
sub·ad·vo·cate, noun
un·ad·vo·cat·ed, adjective
well-ad·vo·cat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use advocate in a sentence

Ultimately, 2015 might be the year American anti-LGBT advocates wish they could skip.
‘Only God’ Can Stop Gay Marriage | Tim Mak | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Privacy advocates such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation say everyone should use it.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet | Marc Rogers | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He advocates a secular regime with a total separation of religion form the government.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015 | Movements.Org | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Many advocates want those changed, adjusted, or bolstered, and the only way to do that is to open up the bill and reauthorize it.
To GOP Congress, as Usual, It’s Welfare on the Chopping Block | Monica Potts | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The “one in five” statistic is frequently cited by advocates of sexual assault awareness.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 7 | PunditFact.com | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Whether advocates and orators had liberty to plead in causes, manifestly known to be unjust, vexatious, or oppressive?
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan Swift
It appears to be the opinion of the advocates of apparitions that naughty ghosts have cold hands.
Second Edition of A Discovery Concerning Ghosts | George Cruikshank
The advocates selected were men of family, and thoroughly acquainted with their views, but not agreeable to Sidney.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3) | Richard Bagwell
It is the favourite retreat of such advocates as have made fortunes in their profession.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808 | Lt-Col. Pinkney
And before we proceed further let us get rid of the intellectual fog which envelops and shelters the advocates of Socialism.
The Inhumanity of Socialism | Edward F. Adams

British Dictionary definitions for advocate

advocate

verb(ˈædvəˌkeɪt)

(tr; may take a clause as object) to support or recommend publicly; plead for or speak in favour of

noun(ˈædvəkɪt, -ˌkeɪt)

a person who upholds or defends a cause; supporter
a person who intercedes on behalf of another

a person who pleads his client's cause in a court of law: See also barrister, solicitor, counsellor
Scots law the usual word for barrister

Origin of advocate

C14: via Old French from Latin advocātus legal witness, advocate, from advocāre to call as witness, from vocāre to call

Derived forms of advocate

advocatory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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